This KY Hidden Gem Has Been Delighting Diners for 155 Years

I'm not sure what the definition of a "hidden gem" is, but if your 155-year-old establishment is tucked away in an old Henderson KY neighborhood, I think it qualifies.

Metzger's Tavern -- Henderson KY

Its location certainly takes care of the "hidden" part; the menu, the staff, and the atmosphere make it a "gem." But I might have to qualify that honorific since every time I've visited Metzger's Tavern at 1000 Powell Street in Henderson, it's been packed with a hungry lunch crowd. In other words, the locals don't seem to think it's hidden.

Trust me, it is WORTH it to put Metzger's into your GPS so you can be ready to call it up when you get a craving for an extraordinary and hyper-local eatery that has seen it all since it came to life on the corner of Powell and South Julia Streets in 1869. That's right. Metzger's has been serving up its unique brand of greatness at the same spot for more than a century and a half.

It took me way too long to return to Metzger's. My first venture into this Henderson icon happened a few weeks before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I just never got around to getting back over to it. Shame on me, but the shame was lifted recently when we headed into old Henderson and added Metzger's Tavern- a long overdue addition- to the Tri-State Bucket List.

The Tri-State Bucket List

The Tri-State Bucket List is a collection of locally-owned restaurants in western Kentucky and southern Indiana that might not otherwise have your attention. The big-name brand restaurants are good at figuratively taking up all the oxygen in the room, so we wanted to ensure you knew about some great little places that shouldn't go unnoticed.

Like Metzger's Tavern.

Join us for a visit, but fair warning...this WILL make you hungry: